Predictions! Who needs 'em?

Betina here. Running a little late this morning.

Blame the weather folk.

We're suposed to be in a category one or two hurricane right now. Lots of blow. Lots of rain whipping sideways. Lots of debris flying by at 90 mph. sigh. Right now, there's hardly a palm frond moving on the deck or in the yard beyond. The storm that shoulda been apparently has fizzled. Didn't stay out in the Gulf long enough to get good and hot-and-wet. So they've closed schools (on the SECOND day of classes, no less! The teachers I know are happy for the day off and dreading having to do "day one" all over again!) And they've sent beach brides and hordes of tourists home in mandatory evacuations. And all for a rainy day. With a little breeze. Maybe.

Now, I'm a big fan of preparedness. I applaud the state and local officials for looking out for us and trying to keep everyone safe in a state vulnerable to the PMS days of Nature. But really-- we need to improve on the whole "predictions" thing. The Spaghetti Plot Model (see a GOOD example above) doesn't seem to be working.

While waiting for the "big blow" to begin, I surfed around the TV dial and found myself watching a program on "decoding the past". . . which was basically a look at ancient prophecies that declare the world will end on December 21st, 2012. Granted, most of it is fairly mystical and takes a lot of interpretation. But there are a lot of otherwise intelligent people getting ready to

sell all their stocks and bonds on December 20th, 2012.

All of which made me think about the whole process of predicting the future. I read recently that scientists (some smart guys somewhere) had determined that virtually all human being have the ability to "see" THREE SECONDS into the future. Which sounds about right. "I think that baseball is coming straight at m-- wham! " "That stupid guy is running a red li-- wham!" "The chair that guy is tipping back in is going to-- wham!"

You get the picture. Three seconds is probably useful in survival. The science types have determined that some people (those with better survival genes!) can extend that time to five, seven, or ten seconds. And a few select people can extend it further than that. . . maybe for days, weeks, months. So theoretically, it's possible to predict the future. But for all our collective smarts, we're still not able to do much with the stock market, the long-term weather, or political campaigns.

Remember the Y2K debacle? Planes would fall from the sky. The stock market would crash. The government would be thrown into turmoil-- no social security checks would be issued-- when computers all failed. December 31st, 1999, we held our breaths and. . . nothing happened. To our relief. And chagrin. Or maybe we scared outselves into correcting the problem before it became a reality. Personally I kinda like that one.

I always thought I'd love to have a glimpse of the future. I'd love to be a mystic, a seer, a sage with a glimpse of Forever. I just tried to think of what I might have predicted accuratel in my life. Not much, it seems. Not even the birth of my own kids. One was 2 1/2 weeks late and practically had to be pulled out kicking and screaming, and the other was induced and was still a whole day late!! One of the longest inducements on record! I can't even seem to predict when the milk in the fridge will run out. "Nah, we've got plenty" I tell myself. The next morning, there's no coffee cream.

On the other hand, I've done pretty well with predicting the staying power of some couples. I knew at the wedding that two of my friends wouldn't be with their spouses long-term. But that was based on abundant clues that things wouldn't go well: the bride was so late the organist gave up and went home, and the mom and dad were sitting in the last pew and hanging onto each other for dear life. . . little hints that things might not go well.

Oh, and I did predict that #1 child would be a boy. But my pride in the accuracy was diluted serioiusly when #2 child came out a boy instead of the girl I'd been predicting. I'd carried him for nine friggin' months-- and had no clue! fortunately, I hadn't invested in anything pink. . .

What about you? Anything you've predicted successfully? Do you read your horoscope? Do you believe some people get a peek at the future? What would you like to know in advance?

Betina's Bucket List

Yes, I went to the movie last Friday.

I saw "The Bucket List" with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman. And I LOVED it. True, it was a little raw in places and painfully accurate about what happens to most people during chemotherapy. But it was also wonderfully hopeful and funny. It's not often you go to a movie and laugh your ass off while you have tears in your eyes. In fact, I can't recall a single other movie where that happened to me.

Now, you might think that this movie touched me because of my peculiar history with illness and disaster and death. And in some ways you'd be right. But I didn't check my brain and 20+ years of storytelling at the door when I entered the theater. The movie has whip-smart writing and terrific characterization and dead-on casting. And the cinematography is great, too. People applauded when the movie was over. When was the last time you heard applause in a movie theater?

More importantly, the movie almost demands that you think about what things are most important to you and what you'd love to do before you kick it.

Do you recall that book "1,000 Places To See Before You Die"? I have a copy. I was surprised and pleased to find I'd seen quite a few of them. But there are also quite a few (many here in the good old USA) that I haven't seen. The list Patricia Schultz put together is a traveler's list, places to visit and things to see.

What was interesting about The Bucket List was that there were lots of things on their list that were experiences. . . like kissing the most beautiful girl in the world. (Which Nicholson did. And it warmed me to the ends of my toes.) And laughing until he cried. (Which Freeman did and the theater audience joined in!) And they went sky diving-- which was a hoot!











Predictably, it all started me thinking. I started working on my own Bucket List. In four days I haven't gotten very far. . . mostly to family things. I know this is a personal thing, but I'm looking for nominations for my list. And I'm suggesting that you start one for yourself.

Something about recognizing the finiteness of life makes me want to enjoy and make the most of the rest of the time I have here.

And nothing says such a list has to be written once and forever, then completed before death. I like the idea of a rolling list. . . adding a new sight or experience every time you cross one off. So, what would you put on your Bucket List? What would you suggest I put on mine?

Here's my start:

1. Climb to the top of a Mayan pyramid.

2. Take a special trip with each of my grands when they're 12 or 13. They choose the destination.

3. Meet the Dalai Lama.

4. See a miracle.

5. Have a #1 NYT Bestseller.

6. Build a dairy in Cameroon. (Heifer Project)

7. Visit a volcano up close.


Any suggestions? I'm open. And what would you like to do yourself? Say-- what would be your top three?